Ball-bearing-spindle construction



Patented July 17, 1928.

THEononE'M. rauiinnN, oF Gitarren; MASSACHUSETTS.

, '.nALL-BEARINe-srinnnn coNsTRUcTroN.

f, Application sied ineary 19, 1923. fsfriaiicnp. l613,731.v

"WW- This,inventionrelatesto improvements in ball ,bearing p spindles and the principal object thereof Viste-provide a novelself-alining ballbearing spindle. It, isfwell known that in the operation of'` spindles when. provided with*v a vvbobbiri the geometrical passes through axis ofv the spindle seldom theY center means comprising the spindle andthe bobbin mounted thereon.

for the spindle .Consequently the support must be soarrangedas t0 rovide for an oscillatory or gyrator movei ment of the that the spindle may .so center i'otate 'about an axis passing` center'of gravity; otherwise it impossible Vto obtain Vasmoot-h andv quiet runlower en d of the spindle in order itself; as to through 4:the will be quite ning spindle at the'lhighv speeds whichare employed in spinning. i 2.0' yVarious means have ploy'ed to permit` the spindle. Such prised a case inwhich'the surrounding the-lower end ofthe resilient means,

heretoforelbeen self-centering V`of the means usually ,have combolster located within the bolster spindle is mounted vand spindle,

such as, springs y ory fabric being employed to permitsuch oscillation yo s necessary to accommodate the 'gyratory motion of the spindle, butralso to check the sec ondary vibration and steady the selfcentering movements of the blade.

f In Vsuch constructions,

and particularly where springs-are employed to cushion the lower end of the spindle blade, the spring tends to'hold the blade in' a particular posi,v

tion even though ythe spindle would naturally run in -aj slightly I dierent position. Y

One1of the o tion is to vprovide a bolster construction combJects vof the presentiinvenprisingV a reservoirfor a liquid having means Within tlie liquid acting upon the lower por,-

tion of the spindle blade to vmultiply they cushioning effect of the liquid upon `the oscillatory or gyratory motion of the spindle.

More specifically the invention comprises located in the reservoirv one or morel bol sters of the bolster case and fulcrumed in thejnormal line of the means engaging the lower -portion ofthe spindle and op lsystem to incre the liquid upon the oscillatory or gyratory movement of the spindle. V

Another object of the invention is ng spindle with a novel form' vide a ball beari axis of the spindle having erating as a lever or lever ase the cushioning effect of to pro- .mme 1f a'liase 2 adapted torest upon the rail of the bracket and f bail bearing which e@ belgcarateiyihaae assembledupon it` and removable from; the

bolstefrucasefwith'the blade.

. A further object of the invention; tobr; y

vde a ball bearing spindle with an. :upper ball bearingsojmounted in thebolster .case as to permit .theaxis' of the ballbearing. substantially l'toVv alineitself withl the l axis 4of the running. spindle. f

Another' object of the invention is prof v l vde a kball bearing placed approximately in line with the band pull to: eliminate friction, said.. spindle being. mounted f at, its lower tend to rotate withsliding` friction `'instead of? lon ballfbearings since itgzzha-s V,beenffound ,thatVV suoli i small' ballr bearings asV are required 4in the limited .A space ywill .not withstand the shocks of. slamming bobbins; onfthe spindles,

' Otherfffobjects and features ofthe invention will morefullyappear rfrom the ollow'f ing description andthe accompanying drawings andgwillbe pointed out in claims.

are illustrated in the accompanying drawinsein which-fm t Iv 4VFig. f1 lis: avert'ical axial sectional view through a spindle I,construction f embodying my invention, being', "shown 1in elevation; f l

, Preferred embodiments of the-invention 4the spindle jbolster, however, f

Y :nigga is 1an emerged 161611 vievivinvral cal section ofthe lower portion of ,tliebolster claseandgtelescopically arranged holsters ful-rv crum d ytherein operable to cushion the oscil-V latory` or gyratory movement ofthe flower end iof fthe( spindle blade, .the lowergende-of :the

bladebeingshown in elevation.;

Fig. 3gis asimilar view` showinga single bolster withinI hebolster'casdthe lower en d ofthe Vblade lbeing shown in elevation Y The embodiment of the'invention disclosed comprises agbolster easel having spinning machine andV provided with a screw, threaded portion ,f3 to receive a clamping nut orsecuring thebolster casegto therailj. The

bolster; case also. is providedwith a usual, doier guardA which, beinf'gfread-m Cil ily understood by those skilled in the art, need not be described.

The bolster case is provided with a longitudinally extending cylindrical bore or chamber 4 to receive the lower end of the spindle to form a liquid-containing chamber or reservoir and means are provided wit-hin the liquid in said reservoir to multiply the cushioning effect upon the oscillatory or gyratory motion of the spindle when the latter is in an unbalanced state.

The preferred means for accomplishing this purpose comprises a bolster which is fulcrumed in the lower part of the bolster case and engages the spindle and acts as a lever to multiply the cushioning effect of the liquid upon the oscillatory or gyratory motion ofthe spindle blade.

In the particular construction illustrated in Fig. 1 the lower end of the bolster case is'provided with a conical wall 5 having an apex 6 in line with the normal axis of the spindle blade 7. A bolster 8, having a downwardly tapered recess 9, encloses the lower end of the spindle blade, the taper in such recess being such as to permit the bolster to oscillate about its fulcrum and to act as a lever. i

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the lower end of the bolster 8 is provided with a conically tapered end wall 10 the apex of which engages and fulcrums upon the conical apex 6 of the wall 5 of the bolster case. The taper 10 is of steeper pitch than the taper of the conical wall 5 of the bolster chamber or reservoir. .Consequently the bolster is free to swing about `its fulcrum in response to the oscillatory or gyratory movement of the lower end of the spindle.

YIn Fig. 2 a plurality of telesco-pically ar` ranged bolsters Vare shown, ythe outer bolster 11 having a conically tapered bottom 12, the apex of which is fulcrumed upon the apex 6 of the conical bottom of the chamber 4 in the'bolster. The outer wall 13 of this outer 'bolster desirably tapers yinwardly toward the top and the inner wall 14 thereof preferably tapers outwardly from the bote tom toward the top. The lower end of the outer bolster is provided with a conically tapering wall 15 the apex 16'of which serves asa fulcrum for the lower end of a similar inner bolster 17 the lower end of which is provided with a conical wall 18 the apex of which fulcrums upon the apex 16 of the conical wall 15. Theconical wall 18 of the inner bolster has a steeper pitch than the conical'inner wall 15`of the outer bolster so that the inner bolster is capable of rocking within the outer bolster. The inner wall 19 of the inner bolster, like that of the outer bolster, tapers outwardly from the bottom toward the top, thus providing aA sufficient clearance to enable the inner and outer bol-v sters eachV to oscillate about its fulcrum in response to the oscillatory or gyratory movement of the lower end ofthe spindle blade. The inner bolster, like the outer bolster', is provided with a conical face 20 which provides a step for the lower end of the spindlev blade 7, the spindle blade having a conical end 21 of steeper pitch than the bottom 20 of the inner bolster.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 2

the apexes of the conical ends 2l of the` spindle 18 of the inner bolster and 12 rof the outer bolster are in the normal axial line of -the spindle 7. The respective bolsters, therefore, stand normally in axial alinement when the spindle is perfectly balanced, but vupon vibration, oscillation orgyration of thelower end of the spindle the respectivepbolsters and spindleV blade are able to oscillatel about their respective fulcrums. 'As' the' upper ends of the -bolster or holsters may swing through a considerable arc the oil in the reservoir acts through the bolster or holsters as through a lever or levers to cushion# the oscillatory or gyratory motion ofthe lower end of thc spindle.V f Y By reason of thefact that these bolsters are of cylindrical orjconical form their action is uniform throughout their. entirepe riphery or peripheries so that a imiform cushioning or dampening eiect upon the Voscillatory or gyratory motion of the spindlek blade is produced. h 1

Any suitable upper bearing may be'prof vided for t-he spindle blade. 4As illustrated herein a ball bearing` of special construction is provided. In the preferred construction the spindle is provided with an inner ball` race member 30 whichis fixedly secured up-` on or formed as apart of the spindle and is provided lwith an undercut race 3.1 for a series of balls 32. The complementary ball bearing member comprisesv an outer race member 33 which extends beneath the upper ball race lmember 80 and is provided with1 a cylindricaldepending portion or Adownward extension 34 which telesco'pieally lfitsl in the upper end of the bolster case and preferably is slightly loose vtherein to'permit the outer ball race to adjust itself automatically, axially in coincidence `with the position assumed by the axis of the spindle by its self- Y centering action. The outer ball race is provided With a cap 35-having an inwardly lextending wall or flange 36 which overlics-` the inner ball race member and servesitoretain the race members andball in their normalV relative positions and also provides' a Vuni tarynball bearing construction which may be removed from the bolster case with Vthe spindle. ,l v

Any suitable means may beprovided for securing the cap tothe lowerball race. As illustrated herein the lower edge portion of" the cap 35 is provided with an inner annular recess which t-hins the wall ofthe cap and .provides the shoulder 371adapted toY rest upon the upper end# ofv the ball race member The thin portionv 38, .which extends downwardly from theperiphery oi the end. portion of. 'the ball race may then be spun down uponA the periphery of the outer ball'race-to .1 make a permanent union so that tampering: rwith the ball'race, or improper adjustments .thereof by unskilled workmen are prevented. i

Y Infusual ball race constructionsv dilli- V'culty has been encountered in lgrinding the outer ball race accurately 'in commercial quantities.: It isneccssary tofgrmd all ballV races internally toV ensure theirv concentricity to within .000l'."1nthe present construction. this can be readily accomplished'.by1

properly chuclringr the depending portion or extension ofthe ball race in a suitable machine in vwhiclrthe race can beaccurately AandY rapidly ground and the cap can be applied and secured vwith equal facility in a suitable metalspinning machine. l

The spindle 1s yprovided with a usual 'whorl 39 havingl a V-shaped groove forthe band and in this construction the plane of the apex of the band groove 40' desirably is slightlylower than 'the' plane of vthe outerV I b'all race so that the band4 normally tends to ment to the free rotation of the balls.

present construction the bolster case cannot f draw the spindle down and retain it proper-I ly seated initsl step inthe bolster,

. The spindle construction thus .l rdescribed permits an accurate self-centeringI of anunbalanced spindle with a minimu'm'famount of 'friction or resistanceto the .high speed of rotationof the spindle. In some ballv bearing' 'spindle constructions Yit has been thought necessary to Yfill the bolster chamber' y. substantially' full of oil, so thaty the ball bearing is submerged in oil, vbut Ain such constructions an excess of oil is often'delivered to the ball race and drips down upon the machine and the excess of oil is a detri- In the be completely lilled withoil and the lubrication of the ball bearing' provided by theV normal centrifugal action of the spindle carrying the oil from the'reservoirto the bearing without effecting any discharge of excess oil.

It will be understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein'are illustrative and not restrictive, and that various changes in form, construction and arrangement of parts maybe made within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lety ters Patent, is f l. A ball bearing spindle construction comprising a bolster case providing a reservoir for a liquid, a spindle blade lrotatably mounted in ball bea-rings at the upper end of said bolster case to resist downward thrust alever to multiply the the liquid upon the oscillatory or gyratory of the. spindle and an oscillatory hollow bol- -ster'pivotally `mounted atits lower end in the lower portion of. lthe bolsterV case in normal axial alinement with the spindle and -freelymovable at lits upperend and having y in the lower end of the hollow recess an axial i and loosely enclosing` asubstantial portion of the lowerend of said ioning eifect of motions of the spindle.-

\ 2.- Af ball bearing spindle construction comprising a. bolster case vproviding a reservoir for Va liquid, a spindle-blade' rotatably mountedy in ball bearings at the upper end of said bolster case tof resist downward thrust of the spindle and anoscillatory hollow bolster pivotally inountedin the lowerv portion ot the bolster case having its fulcrumin the normal line of. theaxis of. thespindle blade and freely movable at its uppery end in' any-direction and providedwith va downwardly tapering recess loosely to receive the` 'lower-.end of the y*spindle-'blade and having.

an axial 'pivot for the "lower end ofthe spindle with surrounding tapering walls'extending upwardly to enclose` a substantial portion .of the lowerv endl of the .spindle Y and acting asa leverv to multiply .the cushioningl electoily the liquid uponVV thev oscillatory or -g'vr'atory motions of the spindle. y y p y 3. A ball bearing spindle construction compri sing a bolster case` providing a reservoir forfalliquid. va spindle blade rotatably mounted in ballibearings'inthe uppertportion 'of recess to provide a pivot for the lower end splindle, acting as l S fu'lcrum for thelower end of said spindle Y 'saidbolster' case-to resistldownwa'rd thrust of said spindleblade, whereby said holsters will act conjointly as a leverage system to multiply the cushioning effect of the oscillatory or gyratory motions of the spindle.

4. A ball' bearing spindle construction com'- prisingl a bolster case providing Va reservoir for a liquid, a spindle blade rotatably mountv ed in vballbearings in said bolster case acting to resist downward thrust of said spindle, a hollow oscillatory outer bolster having upwardly extending and upwardlytapering walls and a conical base, an inner oscillatory bolster having upwardly extending and upwardly taperingv walls extending into the tapered recess of the outer bolster and havinga fulcrum in the normal axial lineof vthe spindle and provided with a tapered recess to provide a Vulcrum for the foot of said blade in the normal axial line ofthespindle,

whereby said bolsters will act l conjointly as a leverage system to multiply the cushion- .ing effect of the liquid upon the oscillatory or gyratory motions of the spindle.

5. A ball bearing spindle construction comprising abolster case having a liquid containing chamber, a spindle blade provided with an inner ball race member, an outery the cushioning effect of tho liquid upon the `oscillatory or gyratorymotions. of the spindle. v

6. A ball bearing spindle construction comprising a bolster case. aspindle blade provided with an inner ball race member, an outer ball race member removably mounted in the upper end of the bolster case and cooperating with the inner race member fto resist lateral and downward forces acting upon the spindle anda cover permanently attached'to said outer race member and v0verlying the inner race member retaining the parts of the bearing in their relative positions and operable to permit removal of the spindle and race members as a unitary construction.

7. A ball bearing spindle construction comprising a bolster case providing a reservoir vfor a liquid, a spindle blade provided with Lezeee lspindle` toresist downward thrust of the spindle and an oscillatory bolster fulcrumed in the lower portion of the bolster. case in axial alinement with the spindle and freely movable at its upper end in any direction y and provided with a fulcrum engagmgthe end of the spindle and having a tapering wall'extendng' upwardly to enclose a substantial portion of the lower end of said spindle, whereby the bolster will act as a1 lever to multiply the cushioning effect of theliquid upon the oscillatory or gyratory motions of the spindle,

8. A ball bearing spindle' construction com-v prising a bolster case providinga reservoir for ya liquid,y a spindle blade provided with an inner ball race member, aco-operating outer ball race member having adepending portion mounted in the bolster caseiwith sufficient clearance to permit said outer ball i race to rock with the spindle'and acting upon the spindle to resist downward thrust ofthe spindlel and a whorl 'on said spmdleblade lia-ving a V-shaped Vgroove for the drivingV band with the plane ofthe apex of said groove slightly lower than the planeof the outer ball race, wherebythe bandnormally .tends to draw the spindle down.-

I have signed'my Y In testimony whereof, name to this specification.

rHEoDoRE M. PRUDDEN, f 

